Needle Eye
by Eyeneversleep
Summary: Jimmy begrudgingly is sent on a mission to help chaperone Margaret's daughter's birthday party and Richard helps Jimmy forget why he was there in the first place. Tender and sweet moments ensue! Slightly an AU-the kids are older. Jimmy/Richard


**A/N-this was written for a friend on livejournal. They wanted some Jimmy/Richard fluff.**

**Please don't forget to review! Thanks so much.**

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Needle Eye

"Margaret needs help chaperoning a birthday party for her daughter on Saturday."

This seemed to Jimmy like it could possibly be the strangest sentence coming out of Nucky's mouth he had ever heard. Jimmy almost asks him to repeat himself as he grips the telephone, the receiver pressed tightly to his ear.

"Ok?"

"I'm going to be out of town."

Jimmy waits for more an explanation but doesn't get one. He bites back the protest rising in his throat.

"There's no one else, James. Just do it."

And with that Nucky Thompson abruptly hangs up. Jimmy's left blinking stupidly in the telephone booth. So Jimmy's a chaperone now? Jimmy grits his teeth and practically slams the receiver back into the phone sending it flying. He gets some startled looks from the other patrons of the hotel. Jimmy leaves in a huff before anyone else can judge him further.

Jimmy knew when he took Nucky's offer to work with him again after leaving Chicago it could prove to be disastrous but fucking chaperoning little girls birthday parties? Was this a joke? There was no way. Nucky was just fucking with him and if that was the case Jimmy would fuck with him right back.

Jimmy devises a plan as he makes his way down the boardwalk, the warm wooden planks and sand under his boots, the salty, summer air kissing his skin and the high intense sun absorbing through his clothes. There are tons of boats out on the emerald water, gulls are lazily drifting on thermals, and there are endless couples walking arm in arm around him. It would be an easy and peaceful morning if it wasn't for his now pulsing headache and ill gotten feelings crawling all over him. He was going to make Nucky pay.

Saturday rolls around in a flash, Jimmy's menacing feelings and scheming seeming to make time pass more quickly. Pink balloons are tied to the railings of the porch. They sway and dance in the slight summer breeze, catching the sun. Matching pink crepe paper is around the railings like a candy stripe, a stark contrast to the white painted wood. Jimmy cringes as he throws his cigarette over the side of the porch and steps gingerly around bicycles and other toys that are scattered all over on the porch.

He hears children's laughter and rapid footfalls like running as he approaches the front door. He groans under his breath. He knocks loudly enough so they can hear him through the ruckus. The Irish woman, all flushed face, wild hair and what looks to be cake batter on her apron opens the door for Jimmy, rapidly motioning for him to enter like she's frantic.

"Thank heavens! I'm a little behind making the cake and some of her friends are already here…" she trails off, babbling in a rush as she makes her way through the house. Jimmy removes his hat and stupidly follows after her not sure of where he's going or what he's supposed to be doing exactly. He dodges a rushing stream of children and follows the Irish woman to the kitchen. The woman flits around the small space like a bird apparently not aware of Jimmy's presence. She looks over her shoulder after a time and stares at Jimmy like she just noticed he was there.

"Well, don't lollygagger about. Open the door for the guests when they arrive and don't let the children into the kitchen. Oh and don't let them run around too much…" she trails off again, Jimmy's attention waning.

"He'll be around to help you too," Jimmy hears her say and his ears prick up at that. Jimmy's pretty sure she's referring to Richard, the ex solider that Jimmy brought back with him from Chicago. Richard had been living with the Irish woman and children acting as a bodyguard of sorts after the failed attempt on Nucky's life. Jimmy had almost forgotten about the war hero through his plotting to get back at Nucky. Jimmy finds himself smiling and not paying attention to the woman's words.

"You hear me? Out with you. I need you back out there with the children," she waves a wooden spoon at him dismissively, her eyes trained dutifully to a large bowl and Jimmy finds himself nodding and backing out of the room.

It's whirlwind of activity and high pitched noises and laughter in the living room. There had to be at least five or six of them already, both boys and girls all around the ages of nine or ten. Jimmy wasn't really sure how old the Irish woman's children were not really ever paying attention as he's only met her a few times. Tommy was a few years younger than these children he confirmed, barely hearing his own thoughts over the ruckus in the large room. The thought of even more children crowding the space made him uneasy. This thought is replaced by surprise as Jimmy feels a presence slip into the room quietly directly behind him. Jimmy looks over his shoulder slowly and is greeted by the half masked ex solider. Jimmy blinks at him a few times and Richard nods a little, what could pass as a smile on the one half of his mouth. They stare at each other and Jimmy thinks he's going to open his mouth to speak when they're interrupted.

"Tin woodsman!" A girl who Jimmy thinks is the birthday girl bounds across the room and practically leaps into Richard's arms. Richard huffs out a breath of surprise and struggle as he's practically tackled and hoists the girl in the frilly pink dress into his arms. She hugs him sweetly, her head rested on his shoulder, her beautiful dark curls lying against his white shirt. Richard holds her close and Jimmy can see the true affection in his eye. There's a closeness between them and it's evident that Richard isn't merely protecting the family but loves them as well.

Something stirs in Jimmy's chest as he takes in the almost private scene. He can only blink at them stupidly, a strange feeling taking over him. Richard asks the girl a question, too low for Jimmy to make out through the loud voices echoing through the room. The girl releases her face from Richard's shoulder, regards him and smiles so sweetly that Jimmy almost feels his heart breaking. "Yes! I can't wait!" the girl responds to Richard's question, her eyes lighting up and Richard bounces her a little in his arms like she weighs nothing at all.

He asks her something else, again too quiet for Jimmy to make out and confusion crosses the girl's face. She turns to Jimmy unexpectedly then and narrows her big eyes at him. "Yeah but I don't know who he is," the girl says almost defiantly to Richard still staring Jimmy down. It's like Jimmy is staring at a female, miniature version of Nucky. Her gaze is cool and even and won't back down and Jimmy thinks that Nucky, the surrogate father, has rubbed off on these children after all these years. It's surprising, funny and almost creepy at the same time.

Richard gently takes the girl's face and turns her back to his attention like a father would. "He's a friend," Jimmy hears Richard say through the din of the room and Richard's statement sits well with Jimmy for some reason. They've never tossed that word around but it sounds true coming from Richard's lips. The girl shoots Jimmy a little cautious and curious look over her shoulder, assessing Jimmy with her big brown eyes though they've softened like Richard's words have worked something in her. She shrugs a little and nods, satisfied with Richard's assessment.

Richard sets her down and pats her head, his fingers trailing down to play with some of her curls. She smiles up at him and he's sharing the same smile for her.

"Did you get me something good Uncle Richie?"

"Mmm. Of course."

The girl claps her hands together, a huge grin breaking out on her face and just like that she's led away by one of her friends, Richard's fingers slipping out of her curls and the two ex soldiers are left in the dust to watch the group of children scamper off to the other side of the room.

Richard shoves his hands in his pockets and leans against the door frame. Jimmy regards him, inspecting him closely. Richard is the uncle Jimmy surmises. He's not really a father, father figure or friend but someone close enough to the children that they want to give him a title. Jimmy wonders whose idea it was because surely it wasn't Nucky's.

"I'm glad you came. Hmph."

Jimmy whips his attention to Richard upon hearing the unexpected words. Jimmy feels his cheeks burn a little and his resolve being shaken, forgetting why he was in this place to begin with. He can only pathetically stare at the other man whose attention is glued to the children in the corner of the room who look like they're playing jacks. Jimmy opens his mouth to say something when the doorbell rings. Richard looks to Jimmy coolly after a moment breaking Jimmy out of his reverie. He's forgetting he was given a task earlier. Jimmy limps to the front door, a couple children practically bursting through it once the door is open far enough, the parents waving and smiling almost sheepishly from the porch. Jimmy continues this exercise a few more times in the span of a few minutes until there had to be almost twenty young children running around the house.

The Irish woman is nowhere to be found and Richard is crouched down to the floor, knees bent around a semi circle of young boys including one who Jimmy thinks is the Irish woman's son. They're poking at Richard's mask almost looking frightened but Richard is telling them a story maybe about the tin woodsman so they're not afraid of his appearance.

Jimmy doesn't know what to do. He stands in a corner and smokes out of pure nerves eventually pacing the small space, the children's laughter and voices filling up his thoughts until he can't think clearly. He was here to chaperone but he didn't know what that meant exactly. He was also here to fuck with Nucky, to do something immature and rash so that Nucky wouldn't trust him around his children anymore meaning Jimmy wouldn't get sent on these meaningless and frivolous tasks.

He smokes and watches Richard for a while until his nerves feel like they're settling. The Irish woman announces lunch and it's like a stampede of rushing children to the dining room. The two men are left alone in the suddenly empty living room. Jimmy can hear the clock ticking and the breeze rattling the windows-sounds he couldn't hear earlier for the multitude of voices. Richard walks up to him, rests against the wall and waits for him to finish his cigarette. Jimmy doesn't know how to feel so he lets himself feel calm like Richard's presence in all this is a consistency anchoring him.

When Jimmy finishes they join the others to grab a plate. There's already too many children crammed into the dining room so the two ex soldiers eat outside on a wooden picnic table that the Irish woman set up and cleared for them but she's nowhere to be found again, babbling to them that she's too busy making things and making sure the children are fed to join them.

The sun is hot but there's a gentle breeze coming in that makes sitting outside almost pleasant. Jimmy's not really hungry but had taken some food to be polite. He finds what he does taste is quite good but the company is better. The two men don't speak much but Jimmy finds himself enjoying his company all the same. Jimmy smokes and they exchange war stories and Jimmy's relaxing and losing track of time and why he came in the first place. The Irish woman is at the screen door suddenly asking for the two men's help and then Jimmy remembers why he's here.

It's chaotic activity as they try to herd the massive amounts of children back into the living room where the girl is going to open what looks like a mountain of gifts. They're piled all around her small form almost obscuring her. Jimmy stands off to the side a distance back so that the children can crowd the girl and watch her. Jimmy watches the Irish woman and Richard arrange the presents and help hand them to the birthday girl. Surprisingly after a time Richard comes to stand by Jimmy's side. Jimmy finds he doesn't mind. It takes quite a while for the girl to open her gifts. Richard had made her a hope chest which the girl seems to be very excited about. She also gets a doll house from her mother and Nucky which she seems equally happy to receive.

After all the presents are open Jimmy helps herd the children back into the dining room to sing happy birthday. The cake is obscenely large topped with pink frosting and white flowers. Jimmy finds himself singing along to the girl getting a sidelong look and a sloppy grin from Richard standing next to him that makes him blush. He declines a piece of cake but Richard insists.

"It's butter cream. Mmm. It's good. Here," Richard feeds a forkful to Jimmy to Jimmy's surprise and embarrassment. No is paying them any mind though as the children are all hopped up on sugar and punch and are playing with the girl's new toys. The cake is good and he swallows down the saturated sweetness through heated cheeks. Richard grins like he wants to say: "I told you so."

Jimmy helps as they set up for some games. He finds he doesn't mind as him and Richard tack the poster to the wall. Jimmy helps blindfold the children so they can take turns pinning the tail on the donkey. Richard helps guide them if they start walking too far off. Jimmy finds himself smiling when one of the children almost pins the tail on Richard and Richard laughs but Jimmy certainly isn't enjoying himself. No, he's here strictly for business only.

The children then play duck duck goose. The birthday girl wants Richard to play and she eyes Jimmy levelly. She seems to make a decision about Jimmy too and asks Jimmy to join. Jimmy finds himself nodding when Richard says he'll participate. Of course the children all pick Jimmy, tapping his head and saying: "goose" like it's some sort of inside joke that Jimmy's sure is the birthday girl's doing.

At first Jimmy just rolls his eyes and beats the children at it but on the third or fourth time he finds himself laughing and trying to run through his limps, letting the children win to their delight and laugher. Jimmy picks Richard on his turn and Jimmy certainly doesn't let Richard win and he certainly doesn't feel any heat coursing through his system when Richard catches up to him around the circle of children and grips his arm gently. No, Jimmy certainty is just being a good sport and letting others have a turn.  
The children all noticed Jimmy limping and they bombard him with questions after the game ends.

"Why are you limping?"

"Were you in the hospital?"

"What's wrong with your leg?"

Jimmy's attracted quite a large audience. Jimmy spies Richard from the corner of his eye. Richard's suppressing a laugh behind his hand, his eye apologetic looking. Jimmy can only shake his head a little and smile to himself.

"I got hurt in the war. Do you want to see?" Jimmy sits on the floor and rolls up his pant leg, shoving down his sock to show his multitude of scars from his injury. He gets a lot of: "whoas" and other exclamations of delight, shock and almost horror as the children all crowd around wide eyed to get a closer look, some of the closer ones reaching out to touch at the long scars on his leg. And he's barraged with more questions by the overly curious ones, some practically sitting in Jimmy's lap deeming him a worthy plaything.

"You were in the war?"

"Did you kill people?"

"How many did you kill?"

"Did it hurt?"

"Did you know that masked guy? Were you in the war together?"

Jimmy eyes Richard at the last question. _I wish we were_ Jimmy thinks but smiles instead. "No. Richard and I didn't fight alongside each other but we were in the same war fighting for our country and we both got injured because of it." Richard meets Jimmy's eyes and he smiles a knowing smile at him. The Irish woman walks in and asks for Jimmy and Richard's help to clear some space because the birthday girl wants some music and they need room to dance.

The children reluctantly detach themselves from Jimmy and he's back to being the quiet chaperone, the sentry in the shadows watching the children from the corner of the room and not participating. Jimmy certainly isn't a little depressed at the idea. No, not at all.

The three of them help clear the space of gifts and other things and then the Irish woman disappears again after telling the two ex soldiers to handle it as she wants to clean up the kitchen.

The birthday girl is on Richard immediately after her mother leaves; tugging at his pant leg and whining that she doesn't want to dance. She wants to play a game that: "all the big kids in high school were playing." The girl whispers something to Richard looking mischievous and Jimmy doesn't like that look, it's definitely another patented Nucky "up to no good" look.

Richard crouches down to the girl's level and it's too noisy for Jimmy to make out what they're saying but they seem to be having a disagreement. Richard takes the girl's hand and she's stomping her foot and pouting almost adorably and Jimmy can see it's working on Richard. Jimmy sees him visibly sigh and whisper something to her and then the girl is the definition of elation-clapping her hands together and hugging Richard.

Richard leaves the room and Jimmy is puzzled. He isn't sure if he should follow him or not. By the time Jimmy makes up his mind that he'll follow him to the kitchen Richard is back with an empty bottle and Jimmy finds himself swallowing a sudden lump in his throat.

The children all crowd around Richard, one huge mass of excitement, tugging at his hands and insisting that he should play too. Some of the "friends" Jimmy had made earlier tug at Jimmy's pants and ask him to join but Jimmy declines.

Richard is in the giving in mood Jimmy supposes because Richard winds up sitting with the children in the big circle on the floor as they play spin the bottle. Jimmy shakes his head, a smile on his lips as he lights a cigarette. It's something that Nucky's daughter would think of that's for sure. It's also something that even Jimmy wouldn't have suggested no matter how mad at Nucky he was. Jimmy had plans of sabotaging the party in a way but he wouldn't subject nine and ten year olds to kissing each other. Jimmy thought they would think it's gross.

Most of the children don't know how to play and most don't play by the rules yet seem to be having a gay old time all the same. They giggle and hoot with laughter especially when the bottle lands on a same sex couple though the children insist that something needs to happen even if it's a handshake or handhold.

When the bottle lands on Richard a sweet little girl gives Richard a peck on his good cheek sending the girl back in her place beating red. Richard rolls his eye and says he's giving up his turn to someone else but the birthday girl insists he gives it a spin. Richard seems hesitant but he does it after a time to the insistence of the girl.

Richard ends up spinning the bottle a little too hard and it goes skittering out of the circle between two children and rolls until it's pointing directly at Jimmy. Jimmy blinks at it stupidly. Jimmy slowly raises his eyes to the still sitting circle of children. They're all eyeing him and whooping and hollering with laughter and delight.

The children push Richard out of the circle saying he needs to kiss Jimmy and Richard laughs with them, his face looking red and he shakes his head. The children start arguing with Richard that he has to do something it was the rules.

Jimmy picks up the bottle and playfully tells the children it doesn't count if the bottle goes out of the circle. This only makes the children flare up with more arguments and protests. The birthday girl sitting next to Richard is whispering something to him and Jimmy gets an odd feeling come over him. Richard is up suddenly and walks towards Jimmy; his palm open for what Jimmy assumes is the bottle.

Jimmy takes a couple steps towards him and stretches the bottle out towards Richard but there's a look in Richard's eye that makes Jimmy's heart stop. Richard takes Jimmy's hand instead, their fingers threading together. Richard crowds his space until Richard's lips are pressing into his pushing all the oxygen out of Jimmy's lungs. Jimmy drops the bottle and he hears it clatter to the floor. All sound evaporates as Richard's lips linger and explore Jimmy's and it's like Richard is threading Jimmy through an eye of a needle, pushing him through and taking him where he didn't know he wanted to be. The kiss is over too quickly, Richard releasing Jimmy's hand and Richard stoops down to collect the bottle. Richard's face is bright red and he stumbles a bit as he walks back to the circle.

Sound returns to Jimmy and when he opens his eyes he sees the children are laughing tears thinking it's the funniest thing in the world or just looking playfully disgusted or shocked that the two older men just kissed. Richard sits back with them and the game continues for a little while longer until the Irish woman walks into the room and puts the nix on it to the protest of the birthday girl.

Jimmy's in a fog, his head feeling too heavy for the rest of his body. Everyone else has seemed to move on from it, the circle disbanding and the children going off to different things but Jimmy feels frozen in place like if he moves he'll be admitting that it happened or his body will forget that it did happen.

Jimmy does move after what feels like forever but in actuality is only a few minutes. He stands in the corner again for support and watches the children play, his heart beating fast and a blush on his cheeks that hasn't gone away since Richard kissed him. The other man is busy being a human plaything and Jimmy certainly doesn't take pleasure out of watching the children ride Richard like he's a horse.

Before Jimmy knows it the doorbell starts ringing and he's moving, practically gliding to the front door and helping usher children to their parents. It seems to go by in a flash like it's nothing at all as Jimmy rides the high of a strange yet wonderful feeling. Jimmy joins the tired and flushed faced Irish woman and Richard in the living room and helps clean up the debris left behind-cups, wrapping paper, tissue, strings and bows. The birthday girl is sleeping on the couch, tuckered out from the busy day.

Richard has been avoiding Jimmy since the game but when their eyes do meet Richard looks away almost embarrassed, a blush blooming on his cheeks and a knowing smile breaking out on his face. Jimmy doesn't have to be told he looks exactly the same as him.

The Irish woman leaves them to take the trash out and Jimmy finds the bottle that was used to play spin the bottle with. Before he knows what he's doing Jimmy walks right up to Richard and hands him the bottle with shaky fingers.

"It landed on you," Jimmy mumbles, his eyes trained to the floor. When Richard reaches to take the bottle from him Jimmy grabs at his hand and draws him into his arms finding his lips through his closed eyes. It's hot and needy this time. They cling to each other and catch each other's mouths hungrily and when Jimmy slides his tongue in he hears the bottle being dropped to the floor. Richard had definitely threaded Jimmy through the eye of the needle but Jimmy was tying off the thread, securing them together and letting Richard know he was there with him.

It could be hours or minutes and the room seems to spin and dissolve away but then Richard breaks away with a gasp for air, his mouth deliciously glistening wet. The woman comes back at that instant, all praise and gratitude for the two men. The men go through the motions and the Irish woman shoots them these looks like she can't understand what's with them but they know. They're wondering when they can be alone together to continue their secret game.

Jimmy stays as long as he possibly can and when Richard walks him out he wishes he was coming with him. They linger on the porch for probably what constitutes as too long of a time. Richard gives him a swift kiss and hand squeeze in a goodbye and Jimmy knows he'll be back. Any chance he could he would be here. Jimmy would be on Nucky for the next opportunity to chaperone or to just come over to be close to Richard.

Jimmy grins like a loon when he finally excavates himself from the other man and leaves the porch. He tosses the bottle in his hand playfully, a memento of the wonderful evening and an at the ready excuse to kiss the ex solider any time he wants. Jimmy knows he'll be back.


End file.
